A Coming of Age
by pageturner007
Summary: Jon Snow has never felt he belonged in his world. Now that he's competing in the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts, will he be able to build the life he so desperately desires? Harry Potter has never had any trouble making friends, but he's never found somebody to fall in love with. A story of love and friendship between boys thrown together in unlikely circumstances
1. Prologue

Prologue

The darkened sky gave no hint of the events to come. The evening birds sung their mournful ballads in the stiffened twilight air. The monolithic castle, known as Hogwarts, had begun to sparkle beneath the evening sky, thousands of candles glimmering from the many windows. The heady scent of ripened pumpkins clung to the cool night time air. The crisp breeze rolled in from the North, bringing with it a wintry promise. Dampened roots and the deadfall leaves of Halloween crunched beneath the boots of the approaching party. A long, haunting howl pierced the otherwise ordinary evening. This was not the howl of a werewolf; the cry belonged to a direwolf.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The boys in the dormitory were midway through a game of exploding snap when Ron noticed a large party crossing the lawn in front of the great oak door.

"Oi, Harry, Seamus, Dean, Neville, come check this out!" Ron called from across the room.

His dormies eagerly ran to him and pressed their faces against the glass pane, clamoring to get a better look at the mysterious group. Each boy scanned the party before being drawn to a teen who looked to be similar to their age. Pale and dark haired, the boy travelled at the rear of the pack with his head bent low.

When they finally managed to peel their eyes away from the boy, they noticed several unusual things about the group. A banner fluttered above their heads, depicting a grey direwolf racing across an ice-white field. The group wore strange garments; boiled leather jerkins were visible beneath the heavy grey woolen cloaks worn by the men. Swords at their sides, much of the party was mounted on horseback and the boys could see them roguishly joking amongst one another. Riding behind the men, three women followed. Two had auburn hair, the other a mousey brown but all three of them were well-dressed. Of the three, one was clearly the mother. Their focused on the women was short lived, however.

The boys turned to each other and said in unison, "cool."

Scampering down the stairs, the boys' excited calls drew other students who joined their parade. It didn't take long for the throng to become a surging wave of students spilling out onto the lawn, desperate to greet their new visitors.

Dumbledore parted the crowd like Moses parted the Red Sea, stepping forward to extend his hand. "Lord Stark, always a pleasure" Dumbledore said, as the leader of the group dismounted and shook his hand. The crowd audibly gasped. Harry and Ron looked to each other as recognition dawned upon their faces.

"Maester Dumbledore" nodded Eddard Stark courteously.

Ned turned to his family and introduced each member as they dismounted. "This is my wife, the Lady Catelyn Stark, and my eldest son, Rob. This is my eldest daughter Sansa and my youngest, Arya. Here are my two youngest sons, Brandon and Rickon." Ned nodded to each in turn.

After the formalities were exchanged, Dumbledore invited the party to dine with him and the rest of the school in the Great Hall.

The family sat up at the head table, a place of honour, while the rest of the contingent found spaces amongst the students. The boys couldn't believe their luck when the dark haired boy they'd noticed earlier sat in Hermione's empty seat beside them.

"Jon Snow." The boy muttered as he extended his hand to each of them in turn.

As the starlit sky smiled down upon them through the enchanted ceiling, Harry couldn't help but notice how Jon's hair shone softly under the moonlight. The boy smiled shyly at Harry after he noticed him staring.

Dumbledore stood to formally welcome the Starks. "Welcome Lord Stark and your honourable family. An unexpected pleasure, to be sure, but I trust your stay here at Hogwarts will be an enjoyable one. I'm sure both students and teachers alike will be welcoming and more than happy to answer any questions you have about our school," His eyes twinkled as he addressed their guests, "you may be unaware, but this year is the Triwizard tournament. I would like to extend the chance to compete in this prestigious competition to the house of Stark. Of course, age exceptions will be made if the Lord and Lady are willing."

The Stark children nodded to each other excitedly, Lady Catelyn Stark patting little Rickon affectionately on the head.

The Beauxbaton and the Durmstrang students exchanged confused glances but nobody protested.

Each of the Stark children, barring Rickon, stepped forward to drop their name into the Goblet of Fire.

Harry glanced across at Jon and put two and two together. He saw anguish in the boys frown and disappointment in his furrowed eyebrows. Harry knew exactly who this he was.

"That's Lord Stark's bastard son!" Harry whispered in Ron's ear.

"Oh, the bastard of Winterfell!" Ron exclaimed bluntly.

Jon flushed a deep purple and his embarrasment was heart wrenching for Harry to watch.

"Jon, would you like to see our Common Room?" Harry asked politely, trying to change the subject

Jon nodded gratefully and Ron looked abashed. The boys led Jon Snow up the stairs to Gryffindor tower, soon becoming fast friends.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The boys huddled around the fire in the empty common room, sitting on an assortment of chairs as they drank hot cocoa. Jon was impressed with the lavish decor; he'd never been somewhere so comfortable and homely. He brooded quietly, contributing little to the banter between the boys. Neville noticed Jon's sombre demeanour, lines and shadows prematurely aging his youthful face as he gazed wistfully into the flames.

'Jon, it's OK that you're a bastard, Seamus is a bastard too, we don't mind at all!' Neville prompted while Seamus nodded eagerly.

'Yeah! Some people even think it's cool!' Dean chipped in, giving Jon a reassuring pat on the knee.

'I don't even have parents!' Harry hurriedly contributed. An awkward silence ensued.

_Why do I feel so flustered around this boy? _Harry wondered to himself after this awkward faux pas.

Jon appreciated the gesture all the same. 'Thank you, I just wish I could enter the Tournament alongside my siblings,' Jon grumbled miserably.

'We'll find a way to enter you!' Dean piped up.

The boys nodded in agreement, jumping up to high-five one another. Jon looked up hopefully, confused by the hand gestures the boys were making, although he was excited all the same. He locked eyes with Harry and they exchanged a long glance.

'At midnight tonight, we'll meet here and sneak down into the Hall to enter Jon's name when nobody is looking! Dumbledore already removed the age restrictions for your family, and if you're really a Stark, it should work for you too!' Harry explained.

'Wont we get caught?' Jon asked, anxiety marring his long features. He didn't want his new friends to get in trouble over him.

'I have a few tricks up my sleeve,' Harry grinned, pulling a wizened piece of parchment from the pocket in his robe. Jon leaned closer.

'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' Harry murmured while Jon raised a curious eyebrow. Jon's mouth widened into an O of disbelief as lines, names and images sprung to life upon the parchment.

'Just a little trick I learnt from my Dad,' Harry muttered. ' I also have an invisibility cloak, so we're sorted'.

'Wait up gang – that cloak only fits three people, remember?' Ron exclaimed 'Who goes and who stays?'

'It's my cloak and my map, so I reckon I should go,' Harry said. He stood up, his thigh brushing lightly against Jon's, creating static. Harry drew a small, sharp breath, hoping nobody noticed he'd gone as red as a beetroot.

'Can I go too?' Neville asked timidly. The boys felt bad, Neville was never much good at anything. A night time stroll and a little marauding success would do him some good. Plus, he was one of the bravest people they knew, he just didn't know it yet.

'Well, I'm whomped,' Ron yawned. 'Time for bed, I think. Jon, we'll set up a mattress on our dormitory floor if you'd like to stay here for the night.'

'Thanks, I think that would be easiest,' Jon agreed. The boys scrambled up the stone steps to put on their pajamas and get ready for bed.

…

A few hours later Jon, Harry and Neville slipped out of their warm beds and crept down the stairs to the dimly lit common room. Harry pulled his invisibility cloak over their heads and they began their journey to the Great Hall.

On the way down, Jon lifted his hand in front of his face and much to his surprise he saw nothing.

'Fantastic,' Jon whispered.

They journey down to the hall was largely uneventful, and the cloak stayed on, something Jon was glad of so that Harry didn't see him get goose pimples every time their arms touched by mistake.

The luminescent cup was the only source of light within the hall, barring the starlit sky above them. The moon's rays were obscured by the dark, Scottish night. As they neared the cup, Jon began to feel nervous, not just because he had Harry and Neville pressing against him beneath the cloak.

'Harry, Neville, what if I'm not a _real_ Stark?' John said as he was about the cross the age line, poised like a diver on board. He was overcome by a gripping anxiety. Neville placed a reassuring hand on Jon's shoulder.

'Jon, are you the son of Ned Stark or not? Claim what is yours!' Neville said. He slid his hand down to Jon's and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze. Harry nodded vigorously in the background, conveying his message of comfort with his eyes alone.

Jon took a deep breath and stepped over the age line.


	4. Chapter 3

... and nothing happened. Jon sighed with relief and continued forward to the cup. Harry and Neville let out excited whoops and high fived. Jon dropped his name in the goblet and the blue-white fire burned red and briefly emitted sparks. Jon was in.

The boys huddled in a group hug, their spirits lifted by Jon's success. Harry threw the cloak over the three of them and they scuttled out of the hall, eager to return to their warm beds. Mrs Norris would surely have heard their enthusiastic shouts.

After they had left the hall, a figure stepped out of the shadows. "So, the boy is a true Stark, curious... most curious..." Dumbledore murmured to himself, smiling up at the starlit sky, clearly bemused.

After a well rested night in the boys dormitory, Jon and the gang headed down for breakfast in the Great Hall. As Jon took his place at the Stark table, Lady Catelyn exchanged a glance with his father.

Ned leaned over and murmured to his son, "Jon, I feel that perhaps it would be more comfortable for yourself and Lady Catelyn if perhaps you stayed in the Hogwarts castle for the duration of your stay."

Ned looked at Jon apologetically, the guilt plain on his face. Jon nodded politely, outwardly morose but on the inside he was soaring. He couldn't believe his luck, he was given permission to stay close to his new friends in the only place where he had ever felt he truly belonged. He couldn't wait to tell his pals.

Jon stood up, hastily bowing to his Lord father and Lady Catelyn, before nodding to Robb and doing his best not to sprint to the Gryffindor table to tell his friends the great news.

...

That evening the boys hurried down to the Great Hall for the Triwizard Champion ceremony. He could see on everybody's faces how excited they were for him. After sitting through a few speeches and a tense feast, it was finally time for the champions to be announced.

"Fleur Delacour!"

"Viktor Krum!"

"Cedric Diggory!"

It was finally time for the Stark announcement... Jon held his brief and glanced over at Robb's hopeful face.

"Jon... Snow?!" The silence in the Hall was impenetrable. Hundreds of faces turned to stare curiously at Jon. Jon had never been paid so much attention in his life. He felt powerful, important for the first time. He tore his gaze from the look of shock on Robb's face, and past the expression of pure hatred on Lady Catelyn's. He sought the reactions of those most important to him: his dormies. He could see the pride swelling on Ron's face, and the encouragement in his nodding. That was all Jon needed; he arose from the table and began his walk towards Dumbledore.

Whispers followed him, but Jon neither knew nor cared what people thought.

_I am Stark after all_, he thought proudly. His happy trance was, however, cut short by a wild shout from behind him. Lady Catelyn had sprung to her feet, livid and ranting. Ned stood up too, placing a calming hand on his wife's shoulder, and pulled her back to her seat. Jon turned back around, passed Dumbledore, and joined his fellow champions in the ante-chamber.

Back in the hall, chaos ensued. As Maester Dumbledore attempted to restore calm, however, another set of violent red sparks erupted into the air and the goblet spat out one final name. With surprising agility, Dumbledore reached and grasped the new champion's name in his withered fist.

"Harry Potter."

...

Jon stood awkwardly amongst the other champions, acutely aware for the first time that his lack of magic might be a problem in this tournament. He gulped.

A hush fell over the group as they turned towards the door, which was slowly creaking open. The person who walked through was not, as Jon had expected, Dumbledore, but a face that made Jon's heart jump into his throat. Harry Potter stepped through the door.

Jon reached out tentatively and grasped Harry's hand.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Jon enquired, genuinely concerned for his close friend.

"I... I was... My name was drawn out by Dumbledore. I'm... the fifth champion!" Harry exclaimed.

The boys stared into each others' eyes, forcing Jon to reconsider his feelings towards Harry.


	5. Chapter 4

After the unconventional champions were briefed on their involvement in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry and Jon headed back to the dormitory side by side.

The boys ascended the stairs in companionable silence. Once they were in the boys' dorm, they pulled on their pajamas and crawled into bed.

Harry lay watching Jon Snow for a long while, his velvet curtains peeled strategically apart. Harry steeled his nerves and decided to take a risk.

"Jon..." Harry called softly across the room, praying that none of the other boys were awake.

"Yeah?" Jon whispered back.

"Do you maybe... did you want to go... should we, maybe, um, sneak out? As in, um together?" Harry stammered, suddenly nervous to hear Jon's answer.

"Yeah. Yeah I think I do." Jon called back. Harry could hear the smile in his voice. He felt the warm glow of acceptance grow inside him.

The boys slipped out of bed and yanked on their galoshes. Harry knew it would be cold out.

As they walked down the stairs together, Harry was once again hyperaware of Jon Snow's proximity to him. He felt as though the heat radiated from the back of Jon's hand as it brushed against the leg of his trousers. He hoped Jon could feel his heat too.

"Where do you think we should go?" Jon asked Harry, still unsure of the Hogwarts grounds.

"I was thinking maybe we could take a stroll around the black lake, if that's what you would like?" Harry suggested nervously.

"I like the sound of that" Jon replied, trying to keep his voice non-committal. On the inside, his heart pounded in anticipation.

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak over both of their heads and they made their way down to the lake side. Once there, the boys tugged the cloak off and turned to face one another.

"Hey... Harry, are you afraid? About the tournament I mean." Jon murmured, almost ashamed of what he'd asked. But he knew he could trust Harry.

"A little. What about you, Jon? Are you afraid?" Harry asked, leaning a little closer to Jon. Their breath mingled.

"Of what?"

"Us." Harry whispered as he buried his face in Jon's tousled black hair. It smelled like the musky forest.

Jon was confused. He knew his body wanted Harry but he didn't know if this was right. Gods be good, he had to resist.

"Harry... stop." Jon muttered, gently pushing Harry's limbs away from his own. Then he turned and sprinted back to the castle before his body could betray his increasingly obvious feelings.

Harry stood there for a long while, staring into the darkness that had enveloped Jon Snow. His chest tightened with longing and embarrassment. _How could I be so stupid? _Harry thought to himself, angry with his rash actions.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a few weeks since the Triwizard tournament champion selection and Ron had noticed a change between his oldest best friend, Harry, and his newest, Jon. As he slurped down a gulp of sugared porridge, Ron reflected how just this morning, Jon and Harry had once again skipped the morning shower routine they used to share with the rest of the boys.

Ron looked up as Jon slid onto the bench next to him and the two boys shared a warm smile. The boys had grown close in these past few weeks, yet Ron felt Jon was holding something back. Ron remembered that night he had lain awake after the selection ceremony and had seen Jon and Harry slip out of the boys dorm together, wearing galoshes.

"Alright Jon?" Ron murmured as he blew on another spoonful of piping hot porridge.

"Yeah, not bad." Jon replied. Jon had begun taking as many classes as he could without magic. This included herbology, care of magical creatures, astronomy and history of magic.

"Missing your family yet?" Ron grinned, knowing Jon felt more at home at Hogwarts than he ever had at Winterfell. Jon's family had departed the day after the ceremony. Ron knew Rob and Jon had not spoken since Jon had taken the championship right from under Rob's nose.

Jon shrugged his shoulders.

"I miss them, especially Arya and Rob but I know I will make them proud." Jon replied.

"Jon... you remember the night you were announced champion? Where did you and Harry go? I mean, after you both came up to the dormitory, I saw you both leave." Ron asked, nervously.

Jon froze and dropped his spoonful of cocoa pops.

"Uh... We were playing.. um... wizards chess... in the common room" Jon spluttered, turning beetroot red.

"Oh... So there's nothing... _weird_ going on between you two then?" Ron asked, hopefully. But deep down, he could tell from Jon's reaction that that wasn't true. Ron couldn't understand why he felt disappointed by the news that Harry and Jon had something between them. The feeling made his heart heavy. He pushed his bowl of porridge away, both confused and frustrated.

"Better get to class, see you later." Ron mumbled, turning away.

Jon stared after his friend, confused and alone.

…

As he sat in transfiguration, Ron came to a decision. He swore to himself that he would be the best friend he could be to both Harry and Jon. If that meant pushing whatever feelings he had for Jon aside, so be it. Harry was his best mate and he would do whatever it took to see him succeed. But he couldn't help thinking that Harry seemed to take everything away from him.


	7. Chapter 6

Harry's perspective

Harry ran up the stairs, his heart pounding. He needed to see Jon. Now. Harry had just witnessed _real_ dragons and he needed to tell Jon that he would be facing a dragon for their first task. This was serious.

Harry flew up the stairs and along the corridors, rushing as fast as he could to the boys' dormitory, all worries of being caught be Filch forgotten.

As he stood over Jon's bed, Harry studied his angular features, feeling himself become erect. He averted his eyes from Jon's face and took a moment to compose himself. _Just bide your time,_ Harry told himself.

Jon seemed to feel his presence and his eyes fluttered open. Harry quickly pulled his invisibility cloak around his shoulders so that his erection was hidden and only his head visible. _Useful thing..._ Harry thought to himself.

"Harry! What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Jon whispered huskily as he wiped the crusted sleep from his eyes.

"I need to talk to you."said Harry. It was not a request, but a command.

…

Jon's perspective

Jon followed Harry down the stairs, dazed and confused. Once they were seated comfortably in the plush armchairs, Harry turned to stare at Jon in the eyes. Harry began to talk but Jon was instantly distracted by those bottle green eyes. He couldn't help but notice the well hidden pain behind them. Jon had to resist the temptation to reach out and touch his knee.

"Dragons." _Wait what? What did he say about dragons?_

"Harry, what are you talking about? Dragons?" Jon asked, suddenly concerned.

"Jon! Weren't you listening? Jeeze, I was saying that for the first task, we will have to fight dragons!" Harry exclaimed.

"They don't exist! At least not now in Westeros . Do you really think they will make us fight one?" Jon asked.

"Jon, haven't you been paying attention in Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked Jon, smiling cheekily.

The honest answer was no, Jon had had more important things on his mind these past few weeks. Nothing was more distracting for Jon than having Harry in his class.

"This means we have a lot of preparing to do Jon. We're going to need to get some rest. C'mon Jon" Harry suggested as he patted Jon lightly on the thigh and began to ascend the stairs.

Feeling Harry's hand against his thigh ignited a passion within Jon that he never knew he possessed. He couldn't run away from it this time.

"Harry." Jon said.

Harry turned to look at his friend and looked startled by how close Jon was to him. Those curiously green eyes were too much to resist. Jon grabbed Harry by the scruff of his cloak and shoved him aggressively against the wall before kissing him savagely on the mouth.

The two boys broke apart and looked into each others eyes for a long moment, breathing heavily.

…

Ron's perspective

Ron stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs to the boys' dorm and stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. He felt his chest consumed with rage while watching the two boys together.

…

Harry's perspective

Harry leaned back in, smelling and tasting Jon with his senses. He was about to initiate another kiss before he heard the door to the dorm above them slam. The two broke apart and turned to face the top of the stairs, unsure of who had discovered them together.


End file.
